AFDA – The South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance

AFDA is one of the leading film schools in the world. With state-of-the-art campuses, AFDA teaches students to conceptualize, create, and develop innovative products and commodities for the local and international market.

The course speaks to its rich entrepreneurial history dating back to 1994; AFDA has earned a reputation as one of the leading institutions of its kind in the world today. Although our track record speaks for itself, we continually renew our commitment to facilitate an environment that develops high-quality human and intellectual property with the relevant skills to deal with the rigors of a fast-expanding and ever-changing entertainment industry.

At our fully equipped campuses in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and (Oodi) Botswana, we train graduates to contribute to one of the largest growth industries in the world: entertainment. In the globalised economy, cultural exchange is a valuable currency. AFDA graduates are taught to conceptualize, create and develop indigenous products and commodities for the local and international market.

Our students are educated not only to forge profitable and sustainable careers in this market, but are encouraged to develop themselves as employment providers - the cultural entrepreneurs of the future. Our alumni have reinvigorated their industries with the quality of their intellectual property, skill and talent. More than 90% of our Honours alumni are working and employed in their chosen field of specialization.

AFDA BIT is an entrepreneurially-focused business and technology school designed to train young creatives, entrepreneurs and tech-savvy school leavers to deal with the rapid changes and disruptive technologies that continue to shape the way we do business in the world today.

BIT’s 3-year Undergraduate Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Science Degrees are built on the platform of AFDA’s unique integrated and outcomes-based curriculum, developed over the last 23 years. Our purpose is to deliver a university education whose graduates emerge with the knowledge, skills and attitudes proven to drive success across a spectrum of industries. The integrated team-based project learning approach focuses on developing business entrepreneurs with the tools, network and desire to build successful and meaningful careers in the evolving and increasing technology-driven markets around the globe.

AFDA films are exhibited at numerous international festivals and have been broadcast worldwide, winning many prestigious awards, including the Student Academy Award winner and Cannes festival finalist in 2006 and a SAFTA (South African Film and Television Award) in 2007. AFDA is a full member of CILECT - the International Association of Accredited Film and Television Schools.

Facilities

AFDA has a culture of constantly investing in the upliftment, upgrading and on-going development of our campus equipment and facilities. We pride ourselves on our ability to provide practical but technically advanced facilities and equipment to meet the intellectual, aesthetic, craft, technical and attitudinal skill demands of the industry. They include state-of-the-art postproduction facilities for editing, animation, visual effects, and studios for sound design, recording and mixing.

AFDA has a number of relationships with key industry facility houses like Arri, Media Services, Adobe and Apple TV. These relationships are critical for AFDA to deal with the input of the exponential changes on the equipment & facility demands in the digital domain.

AFDA students are provided with a standard kit of equipment for the various projects produced over the year. Over 300 film, TV and theater productions and projects are produced annually. Camera, lighting equipment & accessories, sound recording devices, studios, theaters, staging, post-production facilities and production dressing (including CMS) elements are provided in order for the students to complete the various term narrative challenges each year.

CLVA is the student representative body at AFDA and Committee members are selected from all 4 schools by the students themselves in a vote that takes place at the beginning of the year. CLVA assists management and faculty in welcoming new learners to the campus. CLVA is also tasked with organising the Experimental Festival where the third years are given the opportunity to showcase unique projects that utilize all the techniques they have learnt over the years.

Finally the AFDA International Affairs Officer supports international learners in sourcing accommodation within walking distance to the various campuses as well as their integration to the campus and city surrounds.

Step 3: Provisional Acceptance - The International Student Affairs officer will contact you at the email address you supplied on your online application form regarding acceptance into the course as well as pre-arrival and study visa support.

Step 4: Register – Once you have been accepted, you need to register online. A registration fee of Rand 5950 (Rand 1950 for the Higher Certificate in Film, Television and Entertainment, Rand 3950 for the Bachelor of Science and Rand 4950 for the Bachelor of Commerce) must be paid in order for you to secure your position for enrolment.

Step 5: Enrol - You must present yourself at your chosen campus and follow the enrolment procedure during the enrolment window.

AFDA currently utilises the services of several international student recruitment and placement agents. Services offered by agents serve to strengthen awareness to potential learners on study opportunities offered by AFDA. Given their expert advice and local knowledge they are ideally placed to provide additional pre-arrival and application support to learners and parents.

Case Study

"As a postgraduate student at The South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance (AFDA). I discovered there is more to film making than "light, camera, action". Its quality and intense measures have shaped me into believing in what I make and making what I believe in.

The academic and psychological supports that I have received from both the staffs and the lecturers at AFDA cannot be quantified by any means.

AFDA is the best film school in Africa."

Pius Okaba

*****

"There was a time when extraordinary individuals around the world formed an alliance devoting themselves of finding the most fundamental essence of the universe. They call themselves “Starseekers”. Now the story of Starseekers has come to an fruition and it is time to let the legend be told through the most advanced motion picture technologies to date. It is for that purpose that I, Suning Starseeker Chen, honored to carry this enormous responsibility, have come to the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance to gather any means necessary to make the epic dream alive."